eops 'The Goth Years'

So I wrote a blog for My Band T-Shirt all about my beloved Bauhaus T and the sad demise of my T-shirt collection not long ago. I got a lot of great feedback about whats essentially quite a personal story so I thought I'd re-post it here for posterity. 

Strange as it seems before the Raving I was a black-dyed-in-the-wool Goth. Winkle-picker boots, leather jacket, flowery shirt and jet black eye liner. It was great. The greatness was not necessarily in being a Goth but rather in being able to look in the mirror and know that whatever I was, I wasn't one of 'them' ... 'normal people'. 

It wasn't easy either... I had curly ginger hair that didn't respond well to hair gel. I had to slick it all back with soap, blow-dry it, then furiously back comb and crimp it to get the right effect (Mac from Echo & The Bunnymen was my 'dream look'). This system worked well until it rained, then I would begin to froth at the scalp and expunge a strange smell of soapy apples, oh yes, I was a keeper. It kept me fit too, mostly because of all the running I did. I pretty much ran everywhere to avoid being beaten to death by a small town Gorilla in loafers and a 'casual' shirt.  

But you know what? Despite the constant threat of being found in a frothy pool of blood and apple scented soap I loved being a Goth, I met some great people and went to some amazing gigs, I also got to wear make up, get off with girls in suspenders and look miserable without reproach. Anyway this is how is all started...

My Band T-Shirt: Bauhaus, "eyes"

When I was a kid I felt surrounded by uniforms.

They were everywhere it seemed, my Father was in the American Air Force and we lived on a Military Base where literally everyone had a uniform of some description.

We were a staunch Roman Catholic family so there was no escape even at the weekend. We would dutifully go to Church and Sunday School where flamboyant priests wore their vestments as a badge of holy authority, Nuns would herd us around like spiritual penguins and if you were good you might get selected as an altar boy and get to put on a frock yourself. 

As a very young kid it never bothered me, I could see they were a different breed to me. Even when I dressed up in my Sunday best there was a certain flamboyant 70’s style that made my get up individual, if garish.

Like any parent my Mom had phases of dressing us up in matching clothes. We did everything; matching silk Bomber Jackets (that made us look like refugees from a bowling team), identical Sky-Lab themed cardigans (that any Shoreditch Hipster would give their right arm for now), and the high water mark of 70’s kids wear, a vomitus rainbow patterned Nylon jump suit thing that both me and my brother were ‘actually photographed in’ one Easter.

It was exciting at first but eventually the sheer amount of well meaning comments we got began to make us kids suspicious. There was just an inkling brewing that we may have looked like idiots.

Oh the 70s.

As we neared the end of the 70’s we moved to England and after a further year of American education I was shipped wholesale into an English Catholic School (run by Irish Nuns naturally). It was never going to be easy, I was a snotty kid, I had an American accent and … I was ginger.

You might think a school uniform would act as a leveler to these outsider feelings but kids are way to sharp for that. Kids know when you don’t belong. Even my uniform was odd; my buttons were bigger than the English kids’ buttons. My shirts were short sleeved, my tie latched around my neck like an angry blue & white python and my feet were shod in the most ridiculous cowboy boots that added an audio clumsiness to my already wonky demeanor.

I was not happy about the switch to England. I was a Giraffe at a Zebra party. My Mother thought the best policy was to encourage me to join in with various after school activities. I’d seen my brother in the American boy scouts so it seemed sensible to join the Cubs. However my uniform was again cobbled together, imagine my shame when I was the only boy without a regulation woggle. Having 30 English kids taking the piss out of your woggle was beyond the pale.

So there I was, … still surrounded by uniforms. Priests would visit the house and act like I should know them but then the Nuns would then destroy my self-confidence daily at school. At the weekends, I would sit outside the officers club on the Air Base with a warm bottle of coke listening to my Dads Air Force buddies get the best of the attention I craved from my Master Sergeant Father.

The only thing ‘uniform’ about my relationship with uniforms was alienation.

The only places far enough removed from my reality to allow me to relax in were in ‘my prayers’ and in ‘my music’. After all David Bowie was even more alien than Jesus and he had a much better back catalogue to explore.

There it was the road to salvation, no, not the religion, the music.

My interest in religion peaked around 16 or 17. Every time I could feel the church soothing my soul I seemed to find another uniformed hypocrite discrediting all I had learned. Passive aggression, twisting guilt and blatant sinning was the order of the day. Finally a hushed up sex scandal involving the local priest (but not me thank goodness) made me decide the uniforms had to go.

So what does a young boy do? I still didn’t want to be alone; I just wanted to fit in.

The logic ran thus: If I don’t fit in there MUST be others who don’t fit in…

WHERE DO THEY FIT IN? … Or not, if you follow me.

David Bowie did eventually bring the answer, but only indirectly. It was the Bauhaus cover version of Ziggy Stardust that really made the change, it was an unlikely Top40 hit and they looked MENTAL on Top of the Pops. 

I began to spot a trend amongst my older sisters’ friends, there was a look developing, it was black, it was scruffy and it featured Peter Murphy’s eyes.

Long before I could bump into a gig or indeed clothes shop for myself I began to lust after that Bauhaus shirt with the eyes. The only people who wore that shirt were misfits, dropouts, and freaks!

I began to cut away from the pop music of my peers. I remember playing ‘The Psychedelic Furs’ to a bemused mate on the day he bought ‘Uptown Girl’ by Billy Joel – I don’t think he never came round again. While my brothers went on to join the US Navy my sister and I joined CND. I crimped my curly ginger hair straight (which looked as ridiculous as it sounds), then, after a lifetime of waiting, at last, the ‘sixth form’ came along and with it my release from compulsory uniform.

A compulsory uniform that I duly swapped wholesale for another, but this time a dark gothic one that offended my teachers’ eyes. I found a mail order catalogue that sold me winkle-picker boots, a leather jacket, drainpipe jeans, a studded belt and of course … Peter Murphy’s eyes!

My life became a stream of gigs and T-shirts, each time I returned late to school I felt even more of a freak … but now I began to relish it! I remember being told I couldn’t take Holy Communion in a Jesus and Mary Chain T-shirt despite being the only kid in my class who still went to mass on a Sunday. I was pushed further and further away from dogma and compliance and it felt good!

Then there was a moment of clarity at Reading Festival when I looked around and thought:

“I have never seen so many GINGERS in one place! My people …I HAVE FOUND YOU!”

So anyway, coming back to the point - when I found out about the blog My Band T-Shirt I felt compelled to write something. Alas it took longer than anticipated because at one point in my mid 20’s I had stumbled into a very sensible relationship and something terrible happened.

My then partner was not a freak. She was a nice girl. She was doing her ‘wild rebellion’ like a poorly paid gap year when she met me and it soon became apparent that she expected me to grow up with her when it was over.

Things had already changed; Rave had broken the monotonous uniform of black clothing and drainpipe jeans that carried me into the 90s. Instead we began to sweat our individuality into our Global Hyper-Colour tops. That was a sea change for me but for her it was just the start of a new direction.

She bought me a suede blazer jacket to replace my painted leather jacket. She began to ask questions about what ‘we’ were going to do about all my old T-Shirts. The alarm bells were ringing but she (being handy with a needle) offered to ‘make them into something’, she would sew them into a patchwork blanket thing so I didn’t have to throw them out (an offer forced into existence by my refusal to do the latter). So I ruefully gave her all my shirts.

Soon our life together began to drag, plans were being made, events were being dutifully attended and even her Airline Pilot Father complimented me on a pair of sensible shoes I was asked to wear.

I could see the uniforms coming to get me and I wasn’t going to go out like that. I panicked and split with the girl – she, to the best of my knowledge, burned my rebellious shirts. At the time it didn’t really matter, I knew I could never go back to those days anyway, life had moved on. Please don’t get me wrong, she was a lovely girl, but she had a very different outlook from me, it was always doomed.

So anyway, when I decided to write something for the blog I journeyed deep into the heart of my wardrobe but the pickings were awfully slim.

There was no Wedding Present ‘Russian Tour’, no My Bloody Valentine ‘Kiss’, no embarrassing Gene Loves Jezebel, Mission or Balaam & the Angel T’s. In fact apart from solitary Loop shirt (Id been wearing that fateful day), there was almost nothing to tell My Band T-Shirt about.

Then like a time team special – just when I thought I had nothing to show and tell, I found a relic of the past. Hidden in a bag that vaguely whiffed of Petula oil was my very own ‘Shroud of Turin’. A faded face looking out at me 30 years on, a testament to my faith in the freaks … my band T-shirt has Peter Murphy’s eyes.

And finally a fistful of Gothic... 

5 Tunes from the dark days: 

Sisters Of Mercy - Temple of Love

Bauhaus - Spirit

Siouxsie & the Banshees - Staircase Mystery

The Cramps - You got good taste (Live)

The Cure - All cats are grey

eops Pick 'n' Mix for 2012

Having spent the last post reviewing the best of the year in 20/20 hindsight I thought I had better put my money where my mouth is and ‘pick & mix’ 3 acts I reckon will make big waves in the coming year. This cannot end well.

TIP 1. ROOF LIGHT

Roof Light - Palm

I have never been short of ideas musically, just low on actual skill. I used to stand behind my ‘studio bitch’ and ride their knowledge like a pony. Life seemed pretty easy in those days but that all changed when I moved to London and I found myself flying solo. 

I set about earning my production stripes by trawling the sarcastic but invaluable vault of production treasure that is 'Dubstep Forum'. Quite early on I had a demo which (unsurprisingly) absolutely no-one was interested in listening to. I was poised to give up when a curiously named producer took the time to give me a few pointers, his name? Roof Light.

In return I followed the 'Roof Light Soundcloud' page. Immediately it was obvious that I had flukily stumbled on to a mercurial talent. The music on this page came in flurries, sometimes dozens of tracks would disappear overnight only to be replaced with an entirely new selection the following day. 

It was hard to put my finger on what exactly made Roof Light stand out but there seemed to be an unconscious musical thread stringing everything together from the most skittish Garage cuts to the deepest, gloomiest ambient soundscapes (such as the glorious but short-lived posting seemingly created as a requiem for Amy Winehouse). I felt this was an artist steeped in musical history - a feeling validated later by his DJ mixes such as this glorious double helping of sunny Psychedelia posted recently.

I became a bit of a fanboy if Im honest, I felt like I’d found gold in the Soundcloud hills. 

Thankfully Roof Light’s profile began to snowball, releases on ‘Styrax’, support from the likes of Laurent Garnier and eventually a management deal with ‘Westbury Music’ has made him stable mates with the likes of Four Hero, Goldie and Actress his star is definitely on the rise. 

Roof Light make such a wide range of music its hard to know what to expect next but I know I’ll be listening. Mark my words one day there will be an album and it will be impossible to ignore.

TIP 2. SNOW GHOSTS/THROWING SNOW

My second tip for 2012 is Ross Tones an artist who has already started ripping up trees under the name Throwing Snow. I had tipped Throwing Snow as my wildcard for 2011 in my end of year blog in 2010 and he has steadily delivered the goods with a series of impressive 12” releases. 

I cant claim any sort of finders fee however, I stumbled across Mr. Tones via a chance follow on Twitter. He posted a Tweet saying something about ‘fulfilling a childhood dream’ and I couldn’t help but ask what that dream was. As it happened his dream had been to release a 12” vinyl record and I could definitely identify with that. I popped into 'Phonica' one lunchtime and was utterly blown away by the tune. 

Throwing Snow - Un vingt

‘Un Vingt’ was lumped into the Dubstep rack but this was no honking Bro-Step by numbers. Instead it offered a clean musical palette that sparkled with a feeling of improvisation so often missing from electronic music. Over the coming year a string of unique releases built up and when he wasn’t at the controls himself he was running the remarkable ‘left_blank’ imprint which took Dubstep into the uncharted waters of sparse, minimal percussion.

Warm up slots at the Phonica parties gave way to festival appearances in Ireland and finally a slot at the influential ‘The Boiler Room’ web site. Throwing Snow had arrived like a well placed snowball on the face of 2011 and it seemed perfectly possible that Mr.Tones could just keep churning out the 12”s but that would be to underestimate the musician.

It seemed that there was another string to the Throwing Snow bow and that turned out to be the side project ‘Snow Ghosts’ on the Black Acre label. The project included a smokey voiced female singer and the sort of musical ambition that can produce ‘real songs’ the holy grail of the dance scene. 

Snow Ghosts - Lost at sea

The icy, gothic cool engendered by the first Snow Ghosts release ‘Lost at sea’ is the main reason why Ross Tones gets the nod again this year. Whilst I am still gagging for a full Throwing Snow album it seems this year is earmarked for the Snow Ghosts project and a debut LP is imminent. In a landscape blessed with the likes of Salem and SBTRKT I have a feeling Snow Ghosts will make a big noise in 2012.

TIP 3. ADDISON GROOVE (Juke & UK Bass)

Whilst both Roof Light and Snow Ghosts often revel in austere emotional journeys my final choice does exactly the opposite. Addison Groove is all about the dancing, its brash, bassy and built to rock a sound system. 

Addison Groove - Footcrab

In the 90’s I was resident at the Source in Oxford where I enjoyed a period of musical freedom that is hard to find in modern clubland. Whilst the drum and bass heavyweights threatened the buildings structural integrity upstairs I got a chance to play ‘freestyle’ in the cellar. I was always looking for an upbeat feeling and a friend turned me on to Dance Mania and DJ Funk in particular. It was block rocking party music steeped in lyrical idiocy and trouser flapping bass that seemed to mix right in. 

Its a fine line to walk when you start playing booty tracks, these are objectionable records whose casual misogyny is difficult to defend but the music is often so hype that it charms the listener like a hyperactive child swearing for a laugh. Sometimes it would be the high point of the night and sometimes people would quite justifiably take offense. 

DJ Funk - Pussyride (Parental discretion iz advised)

In many ways Juke is the natural successor to the X-rated house of Dance Mania et al. If you are going to get your head around the music then its important to see the lineage from traditional Chicago House through Booty Bass and Ghetto House. In the end these siblings share a musical heritage rooted in the grim reality of urban America, there is a deep seated truth to these uncompromising styles and *that* is what makes them so influential.

Juke & Footwork - Like 'The Black' Riverdance ... or something.

“Bangs n Works” on Planet Mu Records is a crash course in unrefined Juke. Incessant barking samples, ludicrous speed and brutal drum machines that ‘go in dry’ all combine to give a unique but slightly unpleasant sensation. Dubstep (in its fashion), started out with equally uncompromising militancy. By the time labels like ‘Planet Mu’ got the chance to go out to the states and see the Juke scene first hand the internet had already started to cross pollinate the two bass heavy styles. The UK needed its own treatment of the sound and a number of labels such as ‘Planet Mu’, ‘Swamp 81’ and ‘3024’ began to warp Juke to fit the UK palette, slowing it down and reducing the Tourette’s style sample abuse. 

Over the last year or two there has been a slow but steady groundswell of appreciation for this sound. 2012 will see this ungainly bird spread its wings and fly I reckon. Don’t get me wrong, I cant see anything in the way of a crossover hit coming soon, thats really not how it (bangs &) works. This UK-centric take on Juke will prove its success in a subtler fashion by changing the way house, electro and bass are used in a modern production. Already we see the likes of Pearson Sound (nee Ramadan Man) genetically modifying house in the UK with triplet swing and booming backbeats.

Pearson Sound Vs Hardrive - Deep Inside (UK Bass)

The new Addison Groove LP is imminent and I expect it to have a huge influence on the music makers in 2012, and by proxy the clubbers in 2013 ... some time in 2014 you might start to hear the reverberations in less niche music too. After all we have seen Dubstep wobble the likes of Britainy Spears, Cher Lloyd and even the humble 'Weet-A-Bix' advert. 

So do yourself a favour and get ahead of the curve ... its really only house music.

FOOTCRAB! FOOTCRAB! FOOTCRAB! FOOTCRAB! FOOTCRAB! FOOTCRAB! etc ...

CURIOUS? 

Try my latest mix featuring Addison Groove & Throwing Snow:

Enjoy,

eops

eops Albums of the year 2011

2011 was supposed to be my ‘year of the blog’ but unfortunately after three or so entries I found myself suddenly out of a day job, redundant. This left me a little panic stricken for a while but luckily for me I managed to find a new venture after a couple months. The major casualty was this blog, which suddenly got pushed onto the back burner – apologies if you were hugely disappointed by this dreadful turn of events. However despite not being able to find the time to write about music I still found plenty of time to listen to all manner of great sounds. An end of year list seems the perfect way to get back on the horse.

Sit back and hum the Top of the Pops theme music to yourself (if you are old enough to remember what that was) and I shall run through my top ten.

Number 10:
Field Music – Looping state of mind (Kompact Records)
One of the things I like most about listening to ‘Dance’ music is its uncanny ability to teleport the user through time. Well-constructed dance music lives in the present, it holds you in stasis from the beginning and then in the blink of an ear it’s gone. It’s like getting drunk on public transport you can remember getting on board, have a hazy recollection of looking out of a kaleidoscopic window seat and then all of a sudden you are somewhere else, normally with selective amnesia and a bit of dry mouth. Sometimes you need to make a journey twice just to work out how the hell you got there the first time.

This tortured simile is actually a perfect fit for the luxurious audio contained on the The Fields ‘Looping state of Mind’. Its all about the constant motion of the journey. I love the contradictory feelings induced by this simple and perfectly judged production. The albums’ relentless repetition is counterbalanced perfectly by the feeling that the music is constantly evolving and slowly transporting to you through time. No matter how many times I have listened to it I always feel slightly surprised to have reached the end so suddenly.

This is great music to do things to, play it on the autobahn, stick it on in the gym, set it playing before you tackle that mound of washing up and you will be done before you know it.

Number 9:
White Hills – HP 1 (Thrill Jockey Records)
White Hills – HP1 also has the power to transport you through time, it’s another sweeping soundscape that melds together each track in turn, but this isn’t a valium fueled flight of smoothness, oh no. HP1 is more akin to being force fed a fistful of Ketamine and being bungled into the back of a blacked out camper van.

I love an epic slab of post rock noise but aside from the big hitters like Godspeed, Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky I often find myself being pushed into a ‘Prog–rock’ heavy corner by ambitious sound-scapers. It’s a fine balance you see, I want epic, I want experimentation but I balk at cleverness for its own sake and get itchy if I hear a guitar solo onerously endearing its instrument into overcomplicated fret wankery. White Hills manage to side step these pitfalls by keeping things brutally simple. This is a noise more closely inspired by Sabbath at their heaviest rather than Hawkwind at their dopiest.

If you have a penchant for sweeping psychedelic rock but abhor pomposity then White Hills is the CD for you. Just like The Field album you will find yourself surprised when the music stops, unlike The Field’s soft focus techno ride however White Hills will throw you out on the roadside dazed and confused with a number of unexplained bruises.

Number 8:
Total Control – Henge Beat (Fuse Group Austrailia)

The name ‘Total Control’ might suggest a tightly controlled collection of highly polished tunes but the reality testifies to the contrary. Total Control were spawned in Melbourne Austrailia and peddle a mix of willful punk attitude, synthesizer abuse and a hint of reverence for some of alternative rocks unsung heroes.

The sound is riotous from the off, calamitous arrangements hint at Suicide, Loop and the Pop Group but the sheer momentum of the album ensures that this never becomes a naval gazing homage to groups of yore. The style chops and changes with every track, its rowdy, thoughtful, reticent and petulant. I cant claim to know a great deal about these antipodean mentalists but I found it one of the most vital releases of the year. Get it while you can – I cant believe a group capable of this level of racket will stay together long.

Number 7:
John Maus – We must become pitiless censors of ourselves (Upset the Rhythm)
One of the most unexpected treats of the year comes in the form of John Maus and his uniquely dark take on the purest of electro pop sensibilities. This is the sound of one man and his synthesizer singing earnest pop songs through the looking glass.

The best way to get your head around the John Maus sound is to imagine a newly resurrected Ian Curtis from Joy division suddenly jumping ship to record a concept LP with the Pet Shop Boys. Gloomy, booming vocals sit uneasily over vintage arpeggio synth lines that garnish the well-crafted melodies perfectly.

The subject matter is almost teenage in its gloominess but the overall effect is irresistible. Call it what you want; Pet Shop Division? Joy Shop Boys? It really doesn’t really matter when the music is limber enough to sate your weakness for pure pop and still manage to satisfy your inner Goth. If that description piques your interest then I strongly advise you to play the sublime ‘Copkiller’ several times in a darkened room – it’s a bona fide grower this LP.

Number 6:
Kate Bush – 50 Words for Snow (Fish People Records)
Of all the music on this list ’50 words’ is by far the easiest to hate. Just read the signs; It’s a concept album by a 50 year old woman, it features two tracks that last over ten minutes, the production is polished to within a seven inch of its life and it’s pretentious enough to feature a song about having sex with a snowman.

If that resume hasn’t caused one eyebrow to launch upwards in the style of Roger Moore then consider the fact that I am yet to mention the guest appearances which feature a choir boy, Stephen Fry spitting lyrics about frozen water and Elton John in full frontal ballad mode.

Of course this peculiar mélange of ingredients all point at the fact that this is an album of singular vision. Kate Bush is a past master; she is a superstar back after years in the wilderness on her own label and her own terms. There is an unflinching belief behind this collection of ice-cold melodies, Kate knows what she is doing. She knows when she is being pretentious and really doesn’t care if you buy it or not. Despite feeling a little sheepish initially I have to say I buy it totally.

Even the duet with Elton John rings true, he may not have the power in his voice that youth once afforded him but this performance is the most honest and emotional performance he has mustered in the last twenty years. If you can step back and let the album envelope you without prejudice its actually a high point.

Kate is well aware how much she asks of the listener and it’s a relief towards the end when you hear her playing with the world she created. Whilst Stephen Fry lists out the promised ’50 words’ you can hear Kate singing ‘Come on man you got 44 to go’ in the background. Self aware, confident, inventive its no accident that every female singer gets compared unfavourably with Kate Bush, she is the last of her breed – a truly unique artist.

Number 5:
The Horrors – Skying (XL Records)
The biggest problem with this release is the bands previous effort ‘Primary Colours’. It was undoubtedly their magnum opus and it seemed to take everyone by surprise, the very best way for a record to make maximum impact. Just a few years back The Horrors were a badly told joke band held together by Silverkrin and crimping. Then all of the sudden under the direction of video mogul Chris Cunningham they started ripping up trees planted by the likes of My Bloody Valentine and your big brothers Can collection.

How do you follow a career spike with such an acute incline? Well in truth you would be hard pressed to do any better than create an LP as accomplished as Skying undoubtedly is. Of course this time everyone was waiting for it, the ambush was set up months in advance and long range sniping began even before the record got pressed. Many people started lining up to put The Horrors back in their coffin shaped box but to listen to the nah-sayers really does music no service.

Skying is marvelous, the drop on ‘Endless Blue’ alone makes it worthy of purchase. The Horrors are a band at their peak; great songs and great haircuts – what else do you want from rock and roll?

Number 4:
True Widow – A.H.A.T.H.H.A.F.T.C.T.T.C.O.T.E. (Kemado Records)

For some time now a lot of the most interesting new music has be spawned in the murky waters of Heavy Metal where artists are free to experiment with non commercialism without question. The upshot of that has been a plethora of genres with oblique names and surprising success. Stoner/Doom Metal marries leaden riffs with super heavy production values and has produced a stream of fascinating acts from Sun 0))) to Om and Nadja. True Widow never quite fall into that metal edged category but there is something of the night about their doomy indie plodding.

A point of convergence seems to have been reached with True widows emo tinged indie take on Stoner sensibilities. Initially you wonder if the record is playing at the right speed, then you wonder whether it was intentional to mix the vocals that far back and then inevitably you get drawn in to this chasm of sound.

True Widow forge a post modern take on the likes of shoe gaze darlings Slowdive and add in extreme heaviness and glacial pacing. It’s a joy to behold.

Number 3:
Wild Beasts – Smother (Domino Records)
This could and possibly should have been crowned record of the year, it such an odd piece of work. It’s a truly awkward record that somehow manages to perplex and engage the listener simultaneously. You really have to give credit to their record label Domino for spotting their potential and having the iron balls required to back them to the hilt. Its easy for a label like Domino to pick up the likes of Franz Ferdinand with their shout along lyrics and razor sharp suits but Wild beasts are a completely different kettle of fish.

In fact (and I don’t say this lightly), Wild Beasts remind me of The Smiths. Not in the way that say, fans of the Arctic Monkeys might lay claim too, no they don’t sound like them but they do feel like them. They are a truly awkward proposition, falsetto howls swimming in melody and sexually ambiguous lyrics combine to make you feel dizzy and curious in the same way that Messer’s Morrissey and Marr did many years ago. Perhaps most excitingly Wild Beasts (unlike The Smiths) are not tied to traditional song structure, they revel in liquid song arrangements and seem happy to flirt with synthesizers.

Smother is a great piece of work and I can only wonder expectantly at what they might conjure up next.

Number 2:
SBTRKT – SBTRKT (Young Turks)

When you buy a lot of music (as I do) the purchases that give you the most rewarding feelings are the ones that surprise and challenge your preconceptions. This year SBTRKT delivered just that.

Like a lot of people my age I came at Dubstep with the glassy eyed stare of a raver, it was the growling bass and post hardcore atmosphere that attracted me but its important to remember Dubstep came from the silkie smooth sounds of UK Garage just as much as it did from anything resembling ‘Dub’ or ‘Hardcore’.

I rarely ‘bump’ and seldom ‘grind’ in the proverbial sense. I loathe the super slick sex obsessed slime of R&B, in fact I find most vocal Garage a bit too much for my dirt loving ears. The clubs I like are the spit and sawdust variety not the fashion obsessed bring your own bling nights. On first listen I worried that SBTRKT might just bring me out in hives, how wrong I was though.

The reason why SBTRKT could be forgiven for this smooth sensibility is simple:
Songs. The boy has proper songs in his arsenal. Couple this revelation to some of the snappiest production out there and you have an album that transcends both scenes. The subject matter is varied and has a lyrical honesty, perfectly judged instrumental tracks add structure to the whole experience and whilst there are moments of serious introspection I find the overall experience of listening to this uplifting – a trick that many a poe faced indie band could learn from.

I played this record a lot this summer; it’s the thinking persons get ready to go out music.

Number 1:
Metronomy – The English Riviera (Because Music)
The main reason this takes the number one spot is that it’s the catchiest collection of tunes I can remember hearing in years. Seriously if there were an award for ‘ear worm’ of the year the shortlist would feature the entire tracklist of this CD. Many is the night I lay awake with insomnia with fragment of this record echoing around my head. It’s the crack cocaine of indie pop.

The English Riviera marries the brevity of classic pop music with a beautifully drawn concept album. Its production is at once stark, minimal, warm and endearing. It’s intimate, enticing and enigmatic like the best blind date you never had. There are no grandstand moments in this album. No ‘big drops’ or ‘searing solos’. No the amazing thing about this album is that the songs are allowed to do all the work without distractions. It may come on like a softy but once it digs its ‘hooks’ into you it will take over the stereo in your brain and never leave.

I played this record so much I actually had to force myself to stop before I went loopy. Not often I say that. Record of the year.

Any more for any more?
I have to mention the sterling work done by Wonky maestro Rustie, his purple pillion passenger Joker (who almost delivered what he promised, but not quite).

Zomby and his 4AD debut ‘Dedication’. Africa Hi-Tech, Martyn and Thundercats also made some great electronica.

Moon duo and Wooden Shjips continued essentially making the same (excellent) record, Radiohead continue to support new artists and new ways of working in a dying industry. British Sea Power are still writing excellent intelligent music and Valhalla Dancehall was a great addition to their CV.

Any other business:
Gil Scott Heron and Jamie XX – ‘We’re new here’ was a much better album than I thought initially – I think I was expecting too much at the time.

RIP Gil, Jamie gave you a fitting epitaph in the end.

Whilst I still loathe the fierce honking of Florence and the Machine Im going to stop slating her. You know why? Because she is one of the very few female stars out there who doesn’t spend every minute of every song telling the listener that she is ready ‘for anything’ ‘to go there’ ‘to take it up the wrong un’ …

Girls need role models in pop who aren’t validating their existence through the medium of sexist fantasies.

Spotify is evil. Forget the terrible payback that the artists get, that’s a side issue. No the real trouble is that its fostering a generation of people who think that they never need buy any music ever again. Its much more insidious than radio ever was. I’ve heard people saying it allows them to try out lots of stuff before they buy something but as you get more and more into it Id wager you are buying less. You shouldn’t really have the right to try everything in the store before you shell out for one item. Music needs to work as a business for the sake of the artists making it. Also Spotify parties are lame, give me a DJ who cares and plays something I DON’T know.

Happy New Year!

eops

Never trust a cliché…

A sound bite can mean a lot in politics but it can be utterly devastating in music.

A simple barbed couplet can sink an entire genre if it’s pointed enough.

I remember the first time that I watched “The Great Rock ‘n Roll Swindle” and that stickiest of all music critiques was spat out into my living room:

“Never trust a Hippy”

Now it’s a phrase that even Mr. Lydon has grown tired of explaining but it’s a perfect example of the power of words.  

That phrase annihilated all before it in the Post-Punk years. Suddenly the counter culture establishment looked naïve and faintly embarrassing.

Of course the irony is that whatever Punk claimed to have knocked down had already been pummeled on the ropes for a decade by the (now bloated), heavyweight champs of Psychedelia.

Hindsight allows us to see that the Punks were every bit as untrustworthy as their predecessors.

That derisory phrase labeled every long hair gutless, but in 20/20 hindsight? I'm not so sure. I would venture that it took a lot more chutzpah to wear a Kaftan at a peace rally in Lubbock Texas than it ever did to sport a Mohican on the commute into the 100 Club.

However the nuclear strength sound bite “Never trust a Hippy” meant that for years many of us actively ignored all but the headline acts of the 1960’s.

Personally, I thank my lucky stars for my days in the record shop, where I was exposed to a treasure trove of Psychedelia by a few ageing Hippies that I grew to trust.

I have an eclectic palette thanks to that shop and of all the genres I enjoy I think my favourite has to be 60’s Psychedelia.

You see Psychedelia is the only form of music that is defined solely by its ideas.

Think about it… every other form of music is defined by a musical mechanic, a sound or an accident of Geography.

Blues has its 12 bars, Reggae its offbeat, Jazz its compulsory improvisation and so on. You could argue that Post Punk offers an equally random platter but that label was predominantly a retrospective net, which caught many smaller fish that really had no idea how they came to be there.

Psychedelia was different – it was the zeitgeist that everyone knew about and yet there was no specific instrumentation, no musical mechanic and no geographical boundary to define it.

The only common denominator in Psychedelic music of the period was the imperative that the music should ‘blow your mind’.

Everyone knew they had to ‘go Psychedelic’ but very few people really had any clue as to what that really meant. It wasn’t just about the drugs (in all honesty only a few people had full access to such things), but the culture, the arts and the fashion.

As a result of this an amazing thing happened. Faced with being labeled uncool everyone felt compelled to ‘do their thing’.

This might not seem so revolutionary in the information age but the social norms of the time were infinitely more constricted then they are today and finding like-minded people was a geographical challenge. It’s a recurring theme of this blog that the dissemination of information via the Internet is the biggest change to music and culture that those of you under 20 will never really need to be aware of.

Back then you had to ring someone, to ring someone, to ring someone to get them to ring someone you wanted to ring in the states. Five minutes of communication could take hours to set up so when The Beatles sang “All you need is love” via the world’s first live satellite link up you saw the vaguest of ideas carry further and faster than any other idea in history.

Everybody had to have a take on this counter culture from Newcastle to New York. 

Can you dig it?

GO CRAZY!

JAM THAT SHIT OUT!

DO YOUR THING! ER... maybe?

OK… so inevitably it did also lead to a lot of shit being produced but the mantra of experimentation did make a difference. It released more ‘cats’ from their colloquial bags than Julian Assange on free broadband.

And don’t believe the hype, it wasn’t all peace and flowers – some of these cats were angry.

The fact was that you could be just as ‘Psychedelic’ as a solo singer songwriter as you could be with an army of freaks running rampage in the studio.

The legacy wasn’t just political daydreaming, badly dressed flunkies and the admitted self-indulgence the era encouraged. I contend that no other genre has ever been so inclusive; all you needed was your imagination.

I’m not saying the whole thing didn’t eventually spiral out of control (as every movement does), but for a time the grass really was greener.

Personally I was down with the peace and love thing too.

THE SEVEN GIFTS OF PSYCHEDELIA

Take off that uniform!

When The Beatles first showed up in their ‘Monkee’ suits it was their audacity to grow their hair that set the world aghast. By the time they split up even the Bank Manager was wearing flares. This outlandish fashion paved the way for Glam and in some cases naked people.

Take your time man!

Singles used to be utterly formulaic in their size. The tyranny of the 3 minute single was deposed when Brian Wilson produced the magnificent Beach Boys single ‘Good Vibrations’. At 6 minutes it was the longest number one single ever and I defy anyone to shave even a second off it without detracting from the pocket symphony that Wilson dared to create. Im sure you have heard that so instead I'll offer this amazing album track from the original 'Smile' sessions wherein Brian Wilson left his mind for 30 years.

Make an album man, express yourself!

In keeping with the growing attention span of the audience record companies began to back the long-playing record as their format of choice. The exec’s liked the profit margins, the artists liked the room to express themselves and the punters were grateful to have enough time to roll a joint and have a cup of tea before they had to reload the record player.  30-45 minutes is still the optimum length of time for an album to last. Any less and it’s hard to make a rounded statement, any more and your attention starts to wander. How many modern albums have been watered down and ruined by the urge to fill the space on a CD?

Art matters! Make an object to savour!

The gatefold - the sleeve notes - the complimentary artwork ... let me explain:

Here is your iTunes 'Beatles Ltd Ed Box Set':

[              ]

Nice eh? Here's mine:

 I fucking WIN! #tigerblood

The studio as an instrument!

Bands used to be ushered in and out of the recording booth like cattle. As the 1960’s matured however the dark arts of studio production became an open secret. As an example The Beatles and George Martin recorded the album Please, Please Me (1963) in 9 hours and 45 minutes, Abbey Road (recorded in 1969) took 6 months to complete.

Festivals!

You would have no Glastonbury, Donnington, Knebworth... dare I say it? ‘The Wireless Festival’ - without the wildebeast hordes that colonized the plains of Woodstock and the Isle of White. Live music was never the same once the scale was ramped up, and while the mobile phone companies try to emulate these happenings they will never get it, ironically they are just not tuned in.

Political rebellion!

At last pop music started to develop more challenging content and started singing *about* something. Maybe sitting in a hotel room ‘growing your hair for peace’ was a little outlandish but there was a charm in much of the rebellion that cynics will never understand.

Strawberries mean love.

Peace,

@eops

My latest Psychedelic mix:

Tribute to Captain Beefheart RIP

And for those of you who thought it all begins and ends with The Beatles... heres 5 classic British eye openers:

The Pretty Things – SF Sorrow

The Zombies – Odyssey and Oracle

Skip Bifferty – Skip Bifferty

July – July

Family – Music in a dolls house  

And finally heres my Psychedelic Triptic for the music lover with time on their hands:

http://soundcloud.com/eops/part-1-happy-trails

http://soundcloud.com/eops/part-2-observations-from-a-hill

http://soundcloud.com/eops/part-3-headshop

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